Climate change and rising temperatures increase the risk of extreme natural events. This was stated by Prof. Emil Gachev from the Institute for Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the “NOVA Interview” on the occasion of the devastating disaster in Nepal.
According to him, one of the main reasons for such disasters in the high-mountain regions of the Himalayas is the role of permafrost - the so-called “permafrost”. It bonds the mountain ranges, but with increasing temperatures it begins to melt, which disrupts their structure and stability.
“They bond the entire mountain. When temperatures rise, this permafrost melts and its structure is disrupted”, explained Prof. Gachev.
According to the expert, this can lead to the destabilization of large ice masses. He specified that in this particular case it is a hanging glacier, the lower sector of which has broken off.
“It loses this mechanical connection with its upper part. The slope is very large - 1200 meters, and this thing goes down. During this time it mixes with stone mass and soil. There is a full-flowing river below it. A large shock wave is formed, which pushes out the river water itself”, said the specialist.
Prof. Gachev emphasized that early warning of such phenomena is extremely difficult, since the Himalayas are a difficult-to-reach and isolated region. According to him, it is necessary to monitor early signs of instability, but they cannot always be detected in a timely manner.